I believe in eternal security … but not “Once Saved, Always Saved”

People often ask me if I believe in “Once Saved, Always Saved.” They want to know if “Once Saved, Always Saved”is biblical.

I say “No, but I do believe in eternal security.” Once Saved, always Saved is not biblical, but eternal security is biblical.

Is that confusing? Well, let me explain…

Eternal Security and Once Saved, Always Saved

Most people think that eternal security and “Once Saved, Always Saved” are the same thing. They are not. To see this, let us begin with a basic definition of each.

Eternal Security is the belief that once a person has eternal life, they have it forever, no matter what.

Once Saved, Always Saved is the belief that once a person has salvation, they have it forever, no matter what.

Do you see the difference? The only difference between the two definitions is that the first talks about eternal life while the second talks about salvation. Since many Christians think that these two terms are synonymous, they don’t really see much of a difference between eternal security and “once saved, always saved.”

The problem, however, is with the word “salvation” itself.

The Word “Salvation”

As I point out in my online course, The Gospel Dictionary, the word “salvation” very rarely (if ever) is exactly equivalent in Scripture to the term “eternal life.”

As such, most forms of “salvation” in the Bible have various conditions attached to them. If a person does not fulfill these conditions, they will not be delivered (or saved) from the negative consequences that follow.

Yet while failing to fulfill the conditions for salvation from sickness, enemies, or premature death might result in experiencing these bad events in life, such things have nothing whatsoever to do with a person’s eternal destiny or their possession of eternal life.

What this means is that as long as the word “saved” is incorrectly equated with eternal life, the concept of “once saved, always saved” can easily be refuted by pointing out the many places in the Bible where people can lose their “salvation” because they don’t obey God or fulfill the conditions of “salvation.”

But once we understand that the salvation word family almost never (if ever) refers to eternal life, the numerous passages that show various conditions for salvation gain theological clarity.

Let us consider a few examples.

James 1:21 and Once Saved, Always Saved

According to James 1:21, people can save their souls by laying aside filthiness and wickedness, and receiving with meekness the implanted word.

If we think that the word “save” in James 1:21 means receiving eternal life, then James 1:21 is teaching that in order to receive and keep eternal life, we must get rid of sin and build our lives upon Scripture. If we do not get rid of sin and if we fail to follow Scripture, then we will not save our souls. In this understanding, there can be no such thing as eternal security.

When, however, we understand that the word “save” means “deliver” and we also recognize that the word “soul” does not refer to the eternal aspect of a person but rather to the life-giving principle within a person, the phrase “save the soul” is best understood as “deliver the life” from premature death (cf. Jas 5:20). This idea fits best in the context as well, where James calls his readers to get rid of sin and become doers of the word rather than hearers only (Jas 1:21-22).

The way to avoid the damaging and destructive consequences of sin in the life of the believer is simply to avoid sin and follow the teachings of Scripture. If you do this, you will deliver your life from the destruction of sin and a premature physical death.

1 Peter 3:21 and Once Saved, Always Saved

Another example is found in 1 Peter 3:21. Here we learn that baptism saves us. So if we think that “saves us” means we receive eternal life, then the clear conclusion is that baptism is a requirement for gaining or keeping our eternal life. If we do not get baptized, then we do not have eternal life.

It is much better, however, to recognize that the word “save” means deliver, and so when Peter writes that baptism saves us, he is saying that baptism delivers us. What does it deliver us from? In the context, Noah and his family were “saved through water” (3:20), which does not mean that the ark gave them eternal life, but that they did not drown in the flood and were delivered from the wickedness and rebellious ways of the people who lived at the time of the flood.

Peter says the same thing can happen to us today (4:3-4) if we live in light of the resurrection. Is Peter telling us how to receive eternal life? No, he is inviting us to avoid the flood of sin and death that comes from lewdness, lust, drunken revelries, and abominable idolatries. Such sins drown out our lives, and we can avoid drowning in sin by recognizing that through baptism (outer water baptism represents the inner reality of Spirit baptism) we have died to sin in Jesus Christ.

Baptism reminds us that we are not slaves to sin but can live free from it. Living this way does not help us earn or keep our eternal life, but it does help us escape the pain and suffering caused by sin.

1 Timothy 4:16 and Once Saved, Always Saved

Then there is 1 Timothy 4:16. According to this text, our salvation is dependent upon how we live our lives and what sort of doctrine we teach and believe. If we fail to take heed of our lives and our doctrine, then we will not be saved.

If the word “saved” refers to eternal life, then Paul is telling Timothy that in order to receive eternal life, he needs to have Godly behavior and beliefs. In other words, keeping eternal life depends on living the right way and believing all the right things. What a scary thought!

If, however, we look in the context, we see a different truth emerge. Paul knows that Timothy feels inadequate to be an elder in the church at Ephesus because he is so young. Paul says that Timothy’s age will not matter if Timothy can give an example to the other Christians in proper behavior and conduct (4:12). If Timothy watches his life and doctrine closely, he will be saved (delivered) from people looking down on him or ignoring him because of his youthfulness.

Salvation is Conditional Upon Good Works. Eternal life is Not.

All of these texts, and numerous others in Scripture, clearly reveal that salvation is conditional upon how we live our lives and what we believe. So if we think that the word “salvation” refers to “eternal life,” then the clear teaching of Scripture is that receiving and keeping eternal life is conditional about believing the right things and behaving in the right way. This is why I say that “once saved, always saved” is not a biblical teaching.

However, eternal security is biblical.

Once we come to understand that the salvation word family almost never (if ever) explicitly refers to eternal life but instead refers to some sort of deliverance from the calamities of life such as danger, suffering, sickness, and premature death, or to some sort of negative experience at the Judgment Seat of Christ, we can readily teach along with Scripture that salvation is conditional upon what we believe and how we behave.

This does not mean, however, that eternal security is also false. Quite to the contrary, there are numerous reasons to believe and teach the biblical truth of eternal security, all of which I cover in my online course.

Good stuff. When we read scripture, are the words trying to convey a doctrine? Unfortunately many of the scribes of the Bible communicate it that way; and many interpret it that way. But most of the writings of the New Testament were using words to communicate what they felt (security) “through the tender mercy of our God,” Lu.1.78 Too bad we so often view His love through the lens of theological systems; when in reality God simply loves us so much. When we love Him back the relationship becomes symbiotic, just as any relationship does.

Excellent teaching Jeremy. It debunks a lot of stuff thrown my way over many years about the meaning of saved and salvation. Nearly all of it was you could loose external life, loose your salvation. Shame its not taught in many places. If it was it would spare a lot of people loads of doubt and insecurity.

Jeremy, I did a “salvation” word search and it is astonishing how consistently that what you are saying is true in context. It’s very refreshing – thanks! The one reference that didn’t work for me was 2 Timothy 2:10 (NIV) “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” Is Paul saying that in addition to “salvation” (in the temporal sense that comes with reconciliation with God in this life) Jesus offers something more that is eternal?

Jeremy, I previously asked you…. How can someone “believe in Jesus for eternal life” and not “believe Jesus”?

Your response was…. as for your last questions, of course believing in Jesus for eternal life is the same as believing Jesus. He promises eternal life to those who believe in Him for it, so if you believe what Jesus says, then you believe in Him and you believe what He says, and therefore, you believe Him. It’s all the same.

OK, In your post, you tell what you believe and you quoted verses from James, Peter, & Paul……. But since you believe Jesus, let me ask What did Jesus say about “eternal security” and “Once Saved, Always Saved”?

Interesting article Jeremy. σωτηρία indeed means more than eternal life. Paul has been saved, is being saved and will be saved in his letters. I am not yet sure if eternal life is separate from salvation, but while I believe that “once receiving eternal life, always receiving eternal life” is not theoretically true, I do believe that it is virtually impossible to lose eternal life once you have received the Holy Spirit by believing in Christ. I do believe the Holy Spirit is a stalker, like a persistent lawyer won’t quit trying to give an inheritor their billion dollar inheritance. Thank God – I was stalked and God used some serious methods to bring me back to God.

I’ve felt recently that the term “salvation” was an inadequate way to describe what we receive from Jesus, but I couldn’t articulate what salvation meant. Your explanation makes a lot of sense. I’d never heard this issue explained this way before, and I appreciate the distinction you made between the terms. It opens up a whole new level of understanding and clarity about how the New Testament authors approached the human condition.

This is a captivating thought/teaching. I’ve always been taught that Salvation meant both….sometimes it meant eternal life, and other times it meant something similar to what you are describing, but with a focus on sanctification. That is, I was taught it was defined as an ongoing process….and a completed act, and the context would make this clear. But I am intrigued by what you presented here. How can I know you are right about this? Have you written anything else(either similar posts, or books) that explores this concept further? If not, has anyone written on this topic? I’ve read books on eternal security, I’m not talking about that, but rather, I’m talking about your definition of ‘saved’ as deliverance. Any other material that explores this?

I have believed this most of my adult life. I listened to a pastor in Columbus Ohio for over 30 years who taught the difference between redemption and salvation. I find very few see the difference and it really opens up the scripture.

Hm. I think salvation could still be eternal life. I don’t think the requirement that works leads to Salvation. Grace through faith alone….but the outcome of faith is works and the removal of sin through Christ.

Maybe I am missing something but we miss the grand intent of God to truly Dave the world from wrath out of love if we make salvation mean something else.

The impetus to share the word which is what brings people to the saving faith finishes if it’s just to have a better life here.

I’m new to your website. Found you when I was searching for a study based on the Sword of the Spirit (logos vs Rhema). I am absolutely confident in my eternal security because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. I understand what you were saying about salvation as in deliverance from situations…I agree. What I am having a hard time understanding is that on a topic with such eternal importance, why you would ask the reader to purchase the information re: eternal security. Like I said, I’m a very new to your site and not familiar with what you offer free vs what you charge. Maybe you have this topic offered free somewhere that teaches both sides of the spectrum. What I see in this article is that the reader is left hanging. Someone desperately searching for answers on this topic would be left scared to death, but they can purchase the answer. I’m sure you know that and you pray that it would encourage the reader to dig into scripture and search the answers for themselves. I guess I was just confused b/c you seem to be so against the church using scripture for monetary gain. I realize that this is your livelihood, but at the same time with a topic of such gravity…why now? I hope I’m wrong and I hope that maybe I’m missing something. I can see that your heart seems to be in the right place and I was challenged by some of the ways you think differently than me. It’s like you play devil’s advocate at times to challenge the mainstream. Please redirect me if my assumptions are false.

Quote: This does not mean, however, that eternal security is also false. Quite to the contrary, there are numerous reasons to believe and teach the biblical truth of eternal security, all of which I cover in my online course.